Perception socio-culturelle de la dysfonction érectile chez les dockers du Port autonome de Cotonou
Abstract
La dysfonction érectile, au-delà de sa dimension médicale, constitue un enjeu social et identitaire majeur dans les contextes où la virilité masculine fait l’objet de constructions sociales spécifiques. Au Port Autonome de Cotonou, une croyance populaire établit un lien causal entre l’intensité du travail physique portuaire et la survenue de troubles érectiles. Cette recherche analyse comment cette croyance est socialement construite et mobilisée par les dockers et leurs partenaires, et examine ses implications sur les identités masculines et les stratégies de recours thérapeutique. La méthodologie adoptée repose sur une approche socio-anthropologique qualitative combinant observation ethnographique et entretiens individuels approfondis réalisés auprès de dockers portuaires, de leurs épouses et de thérapeutes, sélectionnés selon un échantillonnage raisonné. L’analyse mobilise le cadre théorique des représentations sociales et du constructivisme social. Les résultats révèlent que la croyance s’articule autour d’une théorie implicite de l’économie énergétique corporelle largement partagée, plaçant les dockers dans une position identitaire paradoxale entre idéal de masculinité virile et vulnérabilité sexuelle présumée. L’attribution des troubles érectiles à l’épuisement professionnel oriente massivement les recours vers des solutions visant à restaurer l’énergie vitale plutôt que vers des traitements biomédicaux, constituant un obstacle au recours aux soins formels. Les dockers développent diverses stratégies préventives incluant la régulation de l’effort au travail, les routines de récupération physique et les négociations conjugales autour de la sexualité.
Erectile dysfunction, beyond its medical dimension, constitutes a major social and identity issue in contexts where male virility is subject to specific social constructions. At the Autonomous Port of Cotonou, a popular belief establishes a causal link between the intensity of physical port work and the occurrence of erectile disorders. This research analyzes how this belief is socially constructed and mobilized by workers and their partners, and examines its implications for male identities and therapeutic help-seeking strategies. The methodology adopted is based on a qualitative socio-anthropological approach combining ethnographic observation and in-depth individual interviews conducted with port workers, their spouses, and therapists, selected through purposive sampling. The analysis mobilizes the theoretical framework of social representations and social constructivism. The results reveal that the belief is articulated around an implicit theory of bodily energy economy that is widely shared, placing workers in a paradoxical identity position between an ideal of virile masculinity and presumed sexual vulnerability. The attribution of erectile disorders to professional exhaustion massively directs recourse toward solutions aimed at restoring vital energy rather than toward biomedical treatments, constituting an obstacle to formal healthcare seeking. Workers develop various preventive strategies including regulation of work effort, physical recovery routines, and marital negotiations around sexuality.
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